Parental Intuition

Chapter 3 - Honeymoon Expectations

Ericka awoke first the following morning, grinning at the feel of her husband's arms around her waist. She stirred him from sleep with a gentle shake, and his drowsy eyes landed upon her.

"Good morning," he mumbled, giving her a gentle kiss.

"Morning," she whispered back as he pulled away. "So... any plans for today?"

"Well..." Drac began, "I was hoping to maybe take a bath with my wife?" he asked, putting a proud emphasis on the word 'wife.' It had the effect he wanted, and she smiled at the new role she played in his life.

"I would love to share the tub with my husband," she replied cheekily. Her heart leapt with desire as he helped her rise from the bed and then made their way to the restroom.

The bathtub itself is a white porcelain, deep and rounded well with enough room to easily fit two lovers. Dracula used his magic to turn the knobs of the faucet and fill it with warm water. He then grabbed a bottle of soap and poured most of the content into it, allowing the water to foam with suds that smelled like a sweet vanilla fragrance.

"So the Lord of Darkness likes bubble baths," Ericka giggled as she watched him. "Who knew!"

Dracula chuckled. "Yes. And it will be an even better experience with you, my love."

Turning to her, he gathered up the hems of her loose nightshirt and lifted the thin garment over her head, tossing it to the side so that she was now as nude as he was.

He sat down in the tub first, water sloshing around him as he allowed himself to sink into the frothy mixture. Ericka climbed in next, adjusting herself so that her back was against Drac's lean frame, body pressing into him and making herself comfortable. He let out a small groan of approval, wrapping his arms so they held her close to him, the only sounds being that of their breathing. The warm water was soothing to the muscles, and Ericka let out a content sigh.

"I'm going to miss this," he said.

She turned her head slightly toward him. "Miss what?"

"Oh, moments like this, with just us. Together." He sighed. "It's a lot of work to run the hotel, and throwing a baby into the mix is going to be no easy feat. Especially for a new mother."

She interlaced their hands underneath the soapy water and rubbed her thumb over his knuckles "Well, at least I've got the benefit of having an experienced father on my side. I'm sure things will work out fine."

Drac nodded slowly. "Yes, of course they will. With my zing by my side, I know it will." He brought his fingers to rest on her stomach, lightly stroking. It tickled her and she let loose a small giggle in response.

"Are you washing me now?" she asked.

He leaned down, resting his chin in the crook of her neck. "Of course, I love to touch your body. Plus, we are in the bath."

"Yeah," she breathed. "I guess that's true."

They spent another half hour or so in the comfortable relaxation of each other's company, Ericka enjoying every moment that he gave her without complaint. Once the last bit of the bubbles had disappeared, she began to sit up from the warm waters and reach to dry herself off. She stood up shakily, and Drac followed suit, standing and holding out a hand to steady her. Ericka took it with a grateful smile and did not waste any time in drying off with one of the white towels. They were going to need to utilize all the time they could get to accomplish everything they wanted to do on their honeymoon agenda. She slid on a simple cream tunic dress, while Drac took up a more casual appearance with a flowery Hawaiian shirt and some white slacks.